String-case



No. 6o7,|3o. Patented July l2, |898. 6.*A. mlm.

STRING CASE.

(Application filed Dec. 31, 1897.) (No Model.)

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GUSTAV A. RAPP, OF HUDSON, NE7 YORK.

STRING-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,130, dated July 12,1898.

Application filed December 31, 1897. Serial No. 665,037. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern/:-

Beit known that I, GUSTAV A. RAPP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hudson, f

in the county of Columbia and State of New York, have invented a new anduseful String- Oase, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cases for holding gut stringsused in guitars, banjos, and other portable stringed musicalinstruments; and the object that I have in View is to provide a case inwhich the strings may be preserved from the effects of atmosphericchanges and from moisture due to carrying the casein the pocket or fromcontact with the operators hands.

It is well known that performers on stringed musical instruments arerequired to carry with them a supply of strings to be used inemergencies of breakage of the original strings in the instrument; butthe devices heretofore provided for conveniently carrying such stringshave been open to the objection that they do not afford adequateprotection to the strings against the effects of atmospheric chan gesand the influences of moisture.

Yl attain the objects of my invention by the construction of a pliablefoldable case having a moisture-proof lining, preferably of oiled silk,which is united to the foundation layer in a manner to elfectuallyexclude air and moisture from the strings when the case is folded; andthe invention consists of a stringcase comprising'a foundation pliablelayer creased and folded to form a series of pockets and a flap, awaterproof lining covering the entire surface of the foundation layer,including the pockets and iiaps, and united at its edges to saidfoundation layer by stitching the parts together, 'and fasteners whichunite the waterproof lining and the pockets together without, however,perforating the back of the case or the exposed part of the foundationlayer, thus presenting an imperforate back to the case and excluding airand moisture from the contents (the strings) of the pockets.

To enable others to understand my invention, I have illustrated thepreferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective viewof my improved string-case, showingv it unfolded or opened for theinsertion or removal of the strings. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionthereof on the plane indicated by the dotted line d d of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a perspective view showing the caseV partly folded. l

Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in eachof the several gures of the drawings. I

In the practical embodiment of my improved string-case I employ afoundation layer l and a waterproof lining 2. The foundation layerconsists, preferably, of a single piece of leather or equivalentmaterial and of proper shape and dimensions to form the case, the latterhaving a series of individual pockets adapted to contain a like seriesof strings without permitting the strings to come in contact with eachother. In making up the case Icut the foundation layer to the desiredsize and dimensions, and to one surface of such layer I apply thewaterproof lining 2,A

which covers the entire area or surface of the foundation layer on oneside thereof only. The edges of the foundation l are folded over, as at3, to inclose the margin of the waterproof lining, and said layer l andthe lining 2 are united permanently together by rows of stitches.

The foundation layer and the waterproof lining unitedv thereto arecreased longitudinally, as at 5 (S, the crease-line indicating the lineof fold ofthe layer l and the lining, while Vthe crease-line G is theline of fold of the iiap 7, which is adapted to overlap the edge of thefoundation layer when the stringcase is folded on the line 5 and theedges are united together by the stitches 4. The foundation layer andthe lining are creased transversely on the lines S to enable thestringcase to be folded compactly upon itself for conveniently carryingthe same in the pocket.

After the lining has been stitched to the foundation layer the layer andlining are folded on the line 5, and the side edges of the layer andlining are stitched together to form the longitudinal flap, which,l inconnection with the fasteners E), provide a series of individual pockets10 in the folded case. These fasteners 9 pass through the folded part ofthe case and are attached to the lining at the IOO back of said case;but said fasteners do not pass through the foundation layer at the backof the case, as they terminate in the lining thereof.

In using my improved case for carrying the strings to be applied to amusical instrument the case is opened or unfolded to the position shownin Fig. l, thus exposing the entire series of pockets lO in the case.The strings may readily be slipped in said pockets, after which the flap7 is folded on the crease-line G to overlap the pockets and the stringscontained therein, and the case may now be folded on the transversecrease-lines S into a very compact form, which enables the case and itscontents to be carried convenien tlyin the pocket. To obtain access toone of the compartments l0 of the case, it is necessary to iirst unfoldthe case transversely and then lift the iiap 7, thereby exposing all ofthe compartments or pockets lO and permitting ready access to beobtained to the strings in any one of said pockets or compartments.

The important and distinguishing feature of myimproved string-case isthe employment of the Waterproof lining and the arrangement of thefasteners Which unite said lining to the foundation layer and the liningitself; I attach special importance tothe employment of fasteners whichhave their points of attachment terminating in the lining Within thefoundation layer to leave the latter in an imperforate condition at theexposed back part of the case. The utility of this construction residesin the fact that the exposed part of the case isinot perforated for theadmission of air and moisture to the pockets or coinpartments in thecase to injure the strings therein and to cause deterioration of saidstrings by atmospheric changes and the effect of moisture.

The material which I employ as the Waterproof lining for the foldablepliable stringcase is oiled silk, an article Well known in the art-s,and by reason of the impervious character of this material it is notpossible to employ a cement to unite the lining and foundation layertogether. I'Ience I resort to the expedient of stitching the lining andfoundation layer together at the marginal edges of said layer andlining. This method of uniting the lining and layer together by thestitches is not objectionable in a device of this character, because theparts of the stringcase are folded longitudinally and transversely toexclude air from the contents of the pockets or compartments l0.

The fasteners 9, Which I employ to subdivide the folded part of thestring-case and its lining into a series of individual compartments, maybe of any suitable character. These fasteners may consist of the Wirestaples shown clearly by the accompanying drawings, or the mechanicalequivalent of the fasteners may be employed; but under all conditionsattending the manufacture and use of mystring-case the fasteners shouldterminate in the waterproof lining and not extend through the back ofthe case, thus obviating the formation of openings or vents in the casethrough Which air and moisture may penetrate to the strings contained iuthe compartments or pockets l() of the improved case.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- As a new articleof manufacture, a pocketcase for the strings of musical instrumentsconsisting of a continuous, imperforate foundation layer, amoisture-proof lining of oiled silk coextensive in area to thefoundation layer, united at its edges only thereto, and folded with saidlayer to produce the pocketforming iiap, and the fasteners which pass atintervals through the folded fiap and oilsilk layers Within the limitsof the back portion of said foundation layer and unite the flap andlining together at intervals to form a series of pockets; saidfoundation layer and lining being creased longitudinallyand transverselyto adapt the case to fold into compact condition, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

GUSTAV A. RATP. lVitnesses:

CHARLES R. DU Bois, ALBERT DU Bols-

